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The death of the suburbs?

It’s questions whether the current mortgage crisis is causing the death of Suburbia. I heard the story on NPR the author was talking about and was intrigued at the idea.

The issue, as a whole, is very interesting, especially from a sociological, post-war point of view, as the suburbs, a big car and big backyard were the backbone of the American Dream. Now, thanks to greedy lenders lying to some unwary folks, and buyers who knew they had no business getting ARMs, all mixed with terribly suspect financial policy from our government, and you have – quite possibly – what author Paul Wilham is talking about.

I grew up in suburbia, and my very sense of self and society is somewhat tied up in those ideas – the mall sas everything, the modern ranch house was uniquitous and nobody ever questioned whether it was the right place to be or the right thing to do, except when bullies threw my brother Cris’s shoes into a creek, and maybe it was just me who wanted to move away…

Anyway, this is an important discussion in 2008, and one that’s only going to gain relevance as the housing crisis deepens and properties lie empty.